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Echo Hawk was born into the federally recognized Pawnee Nation in Cody, Wyoming, in 1948 to Ernest and Emma Jane Echo Hawk, where his father worked with the oil and gas industry. He was enrolled as a member of the tribe, whose reservation is in Oklahoma. Shortly before Larry was to start first grade, the family moved to Farmington, New Mexico. Larry and his family joined the LDS Church when he was 14.[3]

He later settled in Idaho, becoming active in the Democratic Party. In 1982 Echo Hawk was elected to a seat in the Idaho State House of Representatives from Bannock County, where he served two terms. He was later elected Bannock County prosecuting attorney in 1986.[6] Echo Hawk was elected Attorney General of Idaho in 1990, the first Native American elected to this position in Idaho.[2]

Echo Hawk served as national co-chair for Native Americans for the 1992 Clinton-Gore campaign. He was a principal speaker at that year's Democratic National Convention and led the Idaho delegation as chair at the convention.

In 1994 Echo Hawk announced his candidacy to succeed fellow Democrat Cecil D. Andrus, who was retiring as Governor of Idaho. Echo Hawk decisively defeated former state senator Ron Beitelspacher and an unknown candidate in the Democratic primary, fueling speculation that he could be the nation's first Native American governor. But, he was defeated in the general election by the Republican candidate, former Lieutenant GovernorPhil Batt. Echo Hawk has not been a candidate for public office since.

Shortly after the 1994 election defeat, Echo Hawk accepted a faculty position at BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School and returned to Utah. In that capacity he taught courses in criminal law, criminal procedure and federal Indian law. He has also published several scholarly papers.

Echo Hawk was appointed by President Obama as the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs in 2009. During his tenure, the government increased the amount of land held in trust for federally recognized Native American tribes by 158,000 acres, supporting their efforts to be self-supportive and to reconnect fragmented reservations. He also oversaw several water agreements made with Native American tribes. He directed implementation of the Tribal Law and Order Act.[5] While leading Indian Affairs, he oversaw the formation of the Tribal Leadership Conference, which provides for an annual meeting between leaders or other representatives of the 566 federally recognized tribes, the U.S. President and all members of the Cabinet.[9] He resigned his position at Interior on April 27, 2012.[10]

In February 2019, Echo Hawk joined the admisistration of Utah governor Gary Herbert as special counsel on Native American affairs.[11]

At the time he was elected State Attorney General in Idaho, he was serving as a member of the board of trustees of LDS Social Services.[12]

He was accepted by church membership as a general authority and member of the First Quorum of the Seventy on March 31, 2012. During his first year as a general authority he made multiple trips throughout the southwest US, often meeting with groups of Latter-day Saint Native Americans.[13] From 2013 to 2015, Echo Hawk served as second counselor in the presidency of the church's Philippines Area.[14][15] From 2015 to 2018, Echo Hawk served as an assistant Executive Director of the church's Correlation Department.[16] He was also a member of the LDS Church's Boundary and Leadership Change Committee.[17] On October 6, 2018, Echo Hawk was released and designated an emeritus general authority.[18]